Why do M&K K4's sound unbalanced...?

Nobbler

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I recently purchased a set of M&K K4 tripole speakers based solely on their reputation as great surround speakers but I'm having problems getting them balance - or worst case, one could be dodgy...

They are used a surround L&R channels in a 7.1 height setup along with 3 M&K S85 as the front three and 2 JBL Comtrol One pro as front height and a BK XLX200FF sub all connected to an Onkyo TX-NR818 receiver using Audyssey XT32.

The K4's replaced a set of LCR 55's direct radiators that sounded good but I had the inkling to try something new so went for the tripoles. I run the Audyssey tones and everything sounds as it should and the system seems to have done a good job of eqing the room with all the speakers except the JBL's set to 100Hz and the JBL's set to 70. distances seem pretty spot on and confirming the levels with a SPL metre confirms that all of the levels are at 75db +/- 1 or 2...however, when you use the system for movie watching, all the surround effects seem to come from the rights channel with nothing coming from the left. The are wall mounted about 4 feet about head height when seated and 30cm from the back wall. the right channels seems a little overpowering with all the effects coming from it but if you get up close to the left channel, you do hear something but it's not a loud (nowhere near to be honest) as the right channel...running the test tone through it gives equal readings on the SPL metre and running audio tests through the surround channels via THX Optimode gives results that I would expect...it's only when watching a film via any source that the left channel seems to dissapear...does anybody know why please?
 
What are the trim levels for both K4's, what xover has the 818 set them at and are you sat equi distant from each K4.

Try them in all channels stereo, do the speakers all sound roughly the same volume.Also the K4's do have arrow directions on them to say which is right and left.

If you change the listening modes to Neo X, DSX etc does that make any difference.Try swapping the right K4 with the left to see if the sound is still low on the left side.
 
I've got a day off tomorrow so will get stuck in then - I'm sure the speaker is ok because I ran it on the front left channel for a bit when I got them and it was fine then,,,
 
I tjink I have sussed it...the wall that the left speaker is on is only half a wall for want of a better phrase. The speaker is 30cm frlm the corner with the back wall and 1.2m frlm where the wall ends and goes left into the dining area. The wall that the right speaker is on goes the whole length of the room all the way down to the screen wall. Could thjs be causing the upset in balance due to the tripole nature? I never had this problem using direct radiators...
 
If i swap the speakers over so the left is right and right is left, they balance perfectly...:confused:
 
Remember that K4s are 'handed' so there is a right and wrong side to mount them, but there should be a label on the back showing which side to point towards the front speakers (if mounted on the side wall). Sounds like you've sorted it though. FWIW I have a pair of K4 as surround backs and one always measures about 1.5dB higher than the other when running Audyssey set up or using an SPL meter, so I think mine are just a little out of tolerance.
 
Yeah I've seen that mate - they are now on the wrong walls and sound awesome!
 
As a side note, Audyssey set the volume of each the same when they were on the right walls and the distance spot on to the cm. When I checked the levels using my SPL, they were about 3 or 4 db lower than the from three which were spot on 75db. Ive yet to run Audyssey since I swapped them onto the wrong walls but I've just left everytjing as it was for now. Very strange - even though the levels were the same (including on the SPL), the left channel was silent almost - swapping them over and they are both the same and what I was really hoping for when I bought them.
 
Just so you are aware; when you run test tones on an Audyssey amp, they aren't eq'd so you are measuring the 'raw' output, ie; with Audyssey 'OFF'.

If you generally listen with Audyssey on then they may well require slightly different db settings due to the eq correction. The best way to confirm this is to play back a test tone off a calibration disc with Audyssey on and then off. You may find there is a difference in how the speakers match using your SPL meter, especially if the room isn't symmetrical.
 

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